Post: #1

Post: #2

I think there are three reasons for the bottle water fad.

1. Placebo effect of advertising
2. Cold water tastes better than room temp water.
3. Convenience of not having to get a permanent water bottle.

I have a pitcher I fill with tap water and put in the fridge. It tastes magnificently better than straight out of the tap on temperature alone.

Post: #3

Once upon a time, restaurants and stores felt obliged to give you a cup of water for free if you'd ask for one. By switching to bottled water, they were able to monetize what was formerly a freebie.

Post: #4

the funniest part about it is that the bottled water industry is very loosely regulated. Some companies actually just use the local communities tap water and bottle it.

I normally carry an insulated coffee bottle with me. When I want water I just go to the nearest tap and fill it up. I've actually had people tell that it was disgusting to do that. If I'm feeling nice ill explain some of the truths about bottled water and how the tap water is actually more than likely cleaner than bottled water. Most of the time its not worth it to get into a discussion about it with someone who believes what is spoon fed to them by mass media and advertising campaigns.

Post: #5

Tap water is, believe it or not, actually more regulated than bottled water. Also, something like 55% of all bottled water comes from a tap anyway...

Post: #6

Which one has less fluoride in it? Tap water isn't always consistent, so some cities have almost undrinkable water and others it tastes great.

Post: #7

(07-13-2014 02:45 PM)kbell Wrote:  Which one has less fluoride in it? Tap water isn't always consistent, so some cities have almost undrinkable water and others it tastes great.

There are quite a few companies who have unfluoridated water. That alone can be worth it in my opinion. There are also municipalities who have unpalatable drinking water whether it's too chlorinated, or just has a bad mineral mix in it.

As for the youtube video. I loved Bullshit when it was on, but this "experiment" like some others had more to do with the environmental placebo effect mentioned by frenchie, and less to do with the actual taste of the water. The results would have been similar had they unwrapped a Twinkie and said a master pastry chef had cooked it.

Post: #8

I must be the only person in the world who likes his water at room temperature - whether tap or bottled.

Post: #9

A better question I think is to compare:
bottled water that's not from the tap (e.g. Evian) vs tap water

In that case, is it worth it? I have a hard time believing that water that gets sent down a bunch of dirty city pipes would be particularly good for you. Even simple filters can only do so much. Having said that, I doubt legit mineral water is worth the money (for health reasons). At least that's my guess. The convenience of bottled water is hard to beat though.

Post: #10

What's more is that it takes a good amount of oil to make the water bottle and distribute to the consumer.

I hate finger waving environmental activists as much as the next guy, but the case against bottled water is actually pretty good.

"To produce nearly 30 billion water bottles annually, manufacturers use 17 million barrels of crude oil, which is enough to fuel a million cars for an entire year.

Imagine a water bottle filled a quarter of the way up with oil. That’s about how much oil was needed to produce the bottle."

from National Geographic

Post: #11

America pipes and water infrastructure is akin to that of a 2nd world or 3rd world in some places. Only wealthier Americans can afford all the expensive filtration and water softener systems. I'm not rich but I saved up to buy a whole house water system because I am not bathing, washing, and drinking that shitty fucking water the local hud lies about being in compliance.

Ever try cooking beans or jambalaya in this hard ass water? Takes hours.

Don't even bring up the pesticides, prescription drugs, and other filth in the water issues.

Bottled water isn't going anywhere anytime soon because handouts, foreign aid, and war is more important than water.

Post: #12

Growing up drinking Colorado mountain aquifer water spoiled me. City water tastes like a swimming pool with the added chloramines (a chlorine molecule bonded with ammonia, delicious), and fluoridation is completely pointless and harmful, as it behaves like lead in the body and tricks cells into thinking that it is an essential mineral.

Post: #13

I think one could make a pretty penny selling "high end" bottled water if one is good at marketing. It's not a stable, scalable business unless you get to the point where you can compete with the big dogs, but if you're good at exploiting fads and hustling you can hit up music festials, clubs in resort towns, that kind of thing. I spoke to a guy on another forum who was into that in Australia, the mark up you can get away with is huge.

Post: #14

Yeah a lot of city water tastes disgusting.

My dad lives up in the Sierra Nevadas. His tap tastes fucking great.

I've been using one of these for the past few years. I highly recommend:

http://www.aquasana.com/product_detail.p...duct_id=11

Check this stuff out, it's like $14 per bottle: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/ea...1.1382336. I actually know the guy, he's a manager at a solid restaurant in L.A. He's a very nice guy so I've never had a reason to tell him that his water is fucking bullshit. That said, I've had the water (no I did not pay for it) and it's pretty goddamn refreshing. It's noticeably crisp, something I've only experienced by drinking snowmelt out of a stream up in the mountains.

Post: #15

I'm interested in this subject. I can probably find a report on what's in my local water but I'm sure it comes from Floridas aquafir. When I lived in New England I never saw anyone drinking bottled water much but here in FL I do all day long and with our heat I'm pretty sure most people don't drink enough..

I have this argument almost daily with people...

I drink tap. Why? Because it's on tap everywhere and I don't have to go to the store when I want water. The fact that people refuse tap water makes them drink less which is more unhealthy than whatever could be in our tap water.

Post: #16

If you hate city water dont ever go to London.

As for bottles water itself, well I find it convenient to just buy it but if I were visiting a non western country I would buy bottled water 100% of the time I am there.

Post: #17

In Mexico, you don't drink the tap water. I buy about 5 gallons of water for 18 pesos (about $1.30). I fill up a jug and put it in the refrigerator so I have cold water with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

   

Post: #18

(07-13-2014 05:57 PM)Sherman Wrote:  In Mexico, you don't drink the tap water. I buy about 5 gallons of water for 18 pesos (about $1.30). I fill up a jug and put it in the refrigerator so I have cold water with freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Many people where I am at drink it. I drink it from time to time as well without any issues. Maybe it is my location.

Post: #19

Depending on location, kidneystones are another worry with tap water.
I know a couple guys who got em from drinking too much of it. Painful.
Being in your 20's is too young to have to go to the urologist for something that usually happens to older guys.

Post: #20

(07-13-2014 02:57 PM)Handsome Creepy Eel Wrote:  I must be the only person in the world who likes his water at room temperature - whether tap or bottled.

I'm with you on municipal water. I like it at room temperature, its easier to drink. I put it in a jug and let it sit out, the chlorine gasses off that way

Post: #21

No one drinks the tap water here in China. Many refuse to cook with it too.

People use environmentally friendly five gallon bottles that can be sent back for a refill again and again.

Post: #22

Depending on how old your home is it's source pipes can effect the "taste" of your water. It isn't really a metric of how clean or dirty the water is as any legit municipality is putting the same treatment to the water and tests as I believe the tests are standard and forced on a Federal level. Tap water in Toronto mostly tastes like shit in the center city because it has heavy minerals in it but it varies from what part of the city you are in, if your "uphill", "downhill", "lakeside" etc. the water in my place I can't event drink, but my old place on the eastern side of town as fine.

Bottled water is a huge scam. It's way less safe. The shelf life of bottled water is suspect and light makes the plastic degrade and leech into the water. Even most water services (big delivered jugs) that use the big jugs just bottle city water and run it through a big Brita type filters, if that.

Post: #23

In Soviet Russia bottled water drinks YOU!!!

I apologize but never been able to pull that off.

Post: #24

99.9% of bottle water is a scam, but Evian and Fiji water is damn good.

That being said I usually buy bottle water anyway because LA tap tastes like hell.

Post: #25

I buy bottled water here. $0.44 for 5L. It's generic brand so I'm sure it's crap but it's still better than Moscow muni water...which is no good. Locals don't even drink it.